Marketing Strategies

Photo by: OutStyle

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the
process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and
distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that
satisfy individual and organizational objectives." Marketers use an
assortment of strategies to guide how, when, and where product information
is presented to consumers. Their goal is to persuade consumers to buy a
particular brand or product.

Successful marketing strategies create a desire for a product. A marketer,
therefore, needs to understand consumer likes and dislikes. In addition,
marketers must know what information will convince consumers to buy their
product, and whom consumers perceive as a credible source of information.
Some marketing strategies use fictional characters, celebrities, or
experts (such as doctors) to sell products, while other strategies use
specific statements or "health claims" that state the
benefits of using a particular product or eating a particular food.

Impact and Influence

Marketing strategies directly impact food purchasing and eating habits.
For example, in the late 1970s scientists announced a possible link
between eating a high-fiber
diet
and a reduced risk of
cancer
. However, consumers did not immediately increase their consumption of
high-fiber cereals. But in 1984 advertisements claiming a relationship
between high-fiber diets and protection against cancer appeared, and by
1987 approximately 2 million households had begun eating high-fiber
cereal. Since then, other health claims, supported by scientific studies,
have influenced consumers to decrease consumption of foods high in
saturated fat
and to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, skim milk, poultry,
and fish.

Of course, not all marketing campaigns are based on scientific studies,
and not all health claims are truthful. In July 2000 a panel of experts
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture supported complaints made by the
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine that the "Got
Milk" advertisements contained untruthful health claims that
suggested that milk consumption improved sports performance, since these
claims lacked scientific

Companies often use characters to appeal to young consumers. Ronald
McDonald first appeared on T.V. in 1963, portrayed by Willard Scott.
The clown is known worldwide, and according to McDonald's, is
the most recognizable figure next to Santa Claus.

[Photograph by Tim Clary. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by
permission.]

support. In addition, the panel agreed with the physicians' claim
that whole milk consumption may actually increase the risk of
heart disease
and
prostate
cancer, and recommended that this information be included in
advertisements.

The tremendous spending power and influence of children on parental
purchases has attracted marketers, and, as a result, marketing strategies
aimed at children and adolescents have increased. Currently, about
one-fourth of all television commercials are related to food, and
approximately one-half of these are selling snacks and other foods low in
nutritional value. Many of the commercials aimed at children and
adolescents use catchy music, jingles, humor, and well-known characters to
promote products. The impact of these strategies is illustrated by studies
showing that when a majority of television commercials that children view
are for high-sugar foods, they are more likely to choose unhealthful foods
over nutritious alternatives, and vice versa.

Inappropriate Advertisements

Attempts to sell large quantities of products sometimes cause advertisers
to make claims that are not entirely factual. For instance, an
advertisement for a particular brand of bread claimed the bread had fewer
calories
per slice than its competitors. What the advertisement did not say was
that the bread was sliced much thinner than other brands.

Deceptive advertising has also been employed to persuade women to change
their infant feeding practices. Advertisers commonly urge mothers to use
infant formula to supplement breast milk. Marketing strategies include

One strategy used by advertisers is to feature a celebrity in their
advertisements or on their packaging. The implicit message is that the
celebrity endorses the product, uses the product, and may even depend
on the product for success.

[AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

giving women trial packs or coupons for several months of free formula.
Often, women are not aware that supplementing breast milk with formula
will reduce or stop their milk supply. When the samples and coupons are no
longer available, women may try to "stretch" the formula by
mixing it with water, unaware that diluting the formula places their
infant at risk for
malnutrition
. Many groups have objected to the use of marketing strategies that
include free formula and coupons, and infant-formula manufacturing
companies have been forced to modify their marketing practices.

Other marketing strategies involve labeling foods as
"light," meaning that one serving contains about 50 percent
less
fat
than the original version (or one-third fewer calories). For example, a
serving of light ice cream contains 50 percent less fat than a serving of
regular ice cream. As a result, consumers mistakenly believe that eating
light food means eating healthful food. However, they fail to realize that
a serving of the light version of a food such as ice cream can still
contain more fat and sugar than is desirable.

Food labels with conflicting information often confront consumers. For
example, labels claiming "no fat" do not necessarily mean
zero grams of fat. Food labeling standards define low-fat foods as those
containing less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving. Therefore, consuming
several servings may mean consuming one or two grams of fat, and people
are often unaware of what amount of a food constitutes a
"serving." In addition, foods low in fat may be high in
sugar, adding additional calories to one's daily caloric intake.
Too often, consumers mistakenly translate a claim of "no
fat" into one of "no calories."

Other examples of conflicting claims include labels advertising foods as
"high in fiber," without specifically indicating the
presence of high levels of salt, sugar, or other
nutrients
. Also, labels advertising dairy products as high in
calcium
, and thus offering protection from
osteoporosis
, are often missing information relating to the high fat content and its
possible contribution to the risk of heart disease.

Consumers are also misled by food comparisons. For example, one fruit
drink may be advertised as containing more vitamin C than another, when in
reality neither of the drinks are a good source of the vitamin. In
addition,
labels on some fruit drinks claim that the product "contains real
fruit juice" when, in reality, the fine print reveals that one
serving contains "less than 10% fruit juice."

Recommendations for Responsible Food Marketing

Consumers rely on product advertisements and food labels for nutritional
education. The American Association of Advertising Agencies states that
responsible food marketing strategies should: (1) avoid vague, false,
misleading, or exaggerated statements; (2) avoid incomplete or distorted
interpretations of claims made by professional or scientific authorities;
and (3) avoid unfair product comparisons. Advertisers must also consider
the long-term consequences or potential for harm stemming from their
claims. While these recommendations are important in developed countries,
they become even more critical in international marketing campaigns.

It is also important for consumers to recognize their role in evaluating
health claims and product comparisons. While advertisers are aware of the
need for truth in advertising, sometimes their desire to sell products
over-shadows an accurate disclosure of product attributes. Advertisers
should bear in mind that inaccurate or vague health claims have the
potential to cause economic hardship, illness, and even death. Lastly,
marketing strategies used in developing nations should be subjected to the
highest standards of truth in advertising.